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Michigan
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Michigan: flag The great seal of Michigan features a shield with a man holding a gun and raising his hand beside a lake and sunrise, flanked by an elk and a moose. An eagle sits above the shield with a red banner reading E Pluribus Unum. The shield bears the motto Tuebor, meaning I Will Defend, and a banner below reads Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice. The outer blue ring states The Great Seal of the State of Michigan A.D. MDCCCXXXV. Michigan's state bird is the American robin. The apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan. Political map of Michigan showing state and county boundaries, major cities, and county seats. The map includes both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, with neighboring states and Canadian provinces labeled. Insets highlight the Detroit metropolitan area and Michigan's location within the United States. Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie are shown surrounding the state. Mackinac Bridge Detroit, Michigan Map of Michigan displaying major physical features, including the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, surrounding Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie), major rivers, lakes, and islands. Notable sites such as Isle Royale National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore are labeled. Insets show Michigan's location within the United States and detail the Detroit area border with Canada. State boundaries and adjacent states and provinces are marked. Map of the Midwestern United States showing state boundaries, major cities, state capitals, rivers, lakes, and notable physical features such as the Black Hills, Badlands, Sand Hills, Ozark Plateau, and Flint Hills. The map covers states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, with the Great Lakes and major rivers labeled. An inset in the upper right highlights the Midwest region on a map of the entire U Grand Traverse Bay
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Detroit, Michigan
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Michigan: flag
Michigan: flag

Michigan

state, United States
Also known as: Great Lakes State
Written by
Randall J. Schaetzl
Professor of Geography, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Author of numerous articles on physical geography.
Randall J. SchaetzlAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Michigan, constituent state of the United States of America. Although by the size of its land Michigan ranks only 22nd of the 50 states, the inclusion of the Great Lakes waters over which it has jurisdiction increases its area considerably, placing it 11th in terms of total area. The capital is Lansing, in south-central Michigan. The state’s name is derived from michi-gama, an Ojibwa (Chippewa) word meaning “large lake.” Michigan is the only one of...

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